6701 Burnet Road (map) Austin, TX 78757 (512) 385-DOGS (3647) M-Sat     11am-8pm Sun         12pm-6pm http://www.dogalmightyhotdog.com Foodquest: June 25, 2005 Foodies: Slowdog,  Ping Cost: $ Rating:

Hidden to the side of the Burnet Road farmer's market lies Austin's original answer to the New York hot dog cart.  By introducing cuisine catered to the Austin palate with selections that offer vegan choices for each meat offering, Dog Almighty gives both meat and veggie lovers an ample selection. 

Dog Almighty offers menu selections named after Austin locales.  Hot dogs are named based on their topping and as a salute to the history of our fair city.  Hyde Park Dogs and Deep Eddy Dogs range among the selections.  The dogs themselves are flame grilled which lend them a unique smoky flavor.   The Classic which features chili, cheese, mustard and onion offers a generous portion of chili and cheese topping the entree.  The smoky flavor of the frank and the crisp nature of the skin add to the initial crunch when biting into the dog.  Unfortunately, the seasoning of the hot dog is somewhat mild, and as a result, the flavor of the dog gets lost among the flavor of the other ingredients.  Chili also makes a tremendous difference in the flavor of a chili dog, and the meat chili topping The Classic is also suprisingly mild in flavor.  Compared to Dog Almighty's own vegetarian chili, the beef chili is a pale shadow of its veggie brother.  Altogether, The Classic delivers a visually appealing package, but fails to come through in terms of flavor.

The meat chili also pulls down Dog Almighty's Frito Pie.  Although well prepared with a nice melding of the chili and cheese upon the crisp corn chips, the pie fails to deliver on flavor.  The pie presents the diner with a mildly seasoned chili that has difficulty standing on its own as the major ingredient in an entree. 

Dog Almighty offers the diner a mix of crinkle-cut and shoestring fries by default.  This interesting variation caters to diners who might strongly prefer one or the other.  The offering is unfortunately somewhat bland and does not offer much differentiation between the two type of fry.  The French Fries offered in the basket were limp with little potato flavor present.   

Most corn dogs offer a consistent shape that appears somewhat machine-formed.  Contrary to  popular belief, hand-dipped corn dogs can often appear identical to the national brands.  Rather than the shape and appearance of a corn dog, the critical factor is the batter used.  The batter can make or break a quality corn dog.  That being said, the hand dipped corn dog offered by Dog Almighty fails to deliver on flavor.  While interestingly shaped with bits of corn in the batter, the resulting coating on the dog is devoid of distinguishing characteristics.  That, combined with the same dog used in the restaurant's other offerings makes for a disappointing result. 

The vegetarian chili from Dog Almighty won second place in the 16th annual Texas Vegetarian Chili Cook-off.  Honestly, I can see why.  The vegetarian chili is astoundingly good.  The lack of flavors of its meat-based brethren is completely restored in this veggie rendition.  It is seriously good eats and as such, provides Dog Almighty with most of its rating.  The skill with which the vegetarian chili has been created speaks of the potential that lies within the menu choices at Dog Almighty.  Hopefully the other selections can be brought to the level established by their vegetarian chili. 

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